GM-BRAND DEALERS TOPS FOR SERVICE

Tony Van Alphen, Business Reporter, Wheels.ca - General Motors' brand dealerships are now providing the best service among mass-market automakers to drivers in their early years of ownership, a comprehensive annual report says.

J.D. Power and Associates said Wednesday its study shows retailers under six GM brands - including three that will disappear - posted most of the highest scores for service to customers with new vehicles in the first three years of operation in the United States, Canada and several other countries.

Hummer, Saturn, Buick and Chevrolet dealerships led the rankings while Pontiac and GMC held the sixth and seventh positions for levels of service initiation, quality, advice, and facility.

Struggling GM is winding down the Hummer and Saturn subsidiaries after failing to sell them and is eliminating Pontiac to concentrate on four brands under a survival plan.

The only brand to break GM's dominance at the top of the study's rankings is BMW's Mini branch.

Among luxury brands, Toyota's Lexus, GM's Cadillac, Jaguar, Honda's Acura and BMW generated the highest scores.

J.D. Power, a major international consumer research firm, based the results on responses from almost 115,000 owners and lessees of 2005 to 2009 model-year vehicles between October and December last year.

Fordy, Hyundai, Volkswagen and Honda dealerships also generated above industry average satisfaction scores in the study.

But Kia, Chrysler, Subaru, Dodge, Nissan, Jeep, Mazda, Suzuki and Toyota dealerships posted below-average scores.

At the same time, J.D. Power noted Volkswagen and Kia made the biggest improvement in dealer service during the past year. Retailers for Toyota, which is reeling from a series of recent recalls, also made progress.

Over the past five years of the study, Volkswagen, Chevrolet, Ford and Kia are among the brands that have made the most improvement.

J.D. Power also said overall dealership service improved in the latest study, which marks the 10th consecutive year of progress.

The research firm noticed gains particularly in thoroughness of work performance, time to complete work, flexibility in accommodating customer schedules and better explanations.

"These improvements may be due to not only an increased focus on customer satisfaction from dealers but also are possibly a result of lower volumes of service traffic that dealers are now experiencing," said Jon Osborn, J.D. Power's research director.

The study found that lower auto sales in the past two years and beyond will probably lead to a decline in service volumes of about 20 per cent from 2009 to 2013.

"Over time, many vehicle owners gradually defect to non-dealer service facilities for repair and maintenance needs, particularly when the warranty period ends," said Osborn. "With service customer retention becoming more crucial than ever during the next few years, dealerships must focus on not only providing superior levels of customer service, but also on enhancing convenience for owners and providing pricing that is more competitive with non-dealer facilities."

FORD TO CUT 900 JOBS AS MUSTANG SALES FALL

Ford Motor Co. has announced that it plans to lay off 900 employees at its Michigan plant, which manufactures the Mustang.

The automaker says the move is the result of sluggish sales in 2009 because of the tough economy, as well as competition from the new Chevrolet Camaro, which is made in Oshawa, Ontario.

The company's spokeswoman Marcey Evans said, "Ford will eliminate the shift at the Flat Rock, Michigan plant from July 12, 2010."

However, she added, "Most of the workers at the plant will be offered work at other Ford plants."

Mustang sales fell 27 percent last year in the U.S., being outsold by the Camaro by nearly 5,000 cars. The Camaro hasn't outsold the Mustang since 1985.

CANADIANDRIVER.COM ANNOUNCES TOP PICKS FOR 2010

General Motors - The 2010 Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Equinox were among the 20 winners from CanadianDriver.com's first annual Top Picks awards. CanadianDriver.com has been a leading Canadian online automotive magazine since 1999 and currently receives more than 5.2 million page views per month.

"These are the vehicles we would recommend if you came to us asking which car you should buy - which coincidentally, many of you do," says Editor-in-Chief of CanadianDriver.com, Greg Wilson. "The winning vehicles are chosen from a broad range of vehicle classes, and unlike many awards, we consider every new vehicle sold in the Canadian market, not just the all-new models or redesigned ones."

The judges took into account such factors as styling, comfort, functionality, quality, performance, fuel economy, safety features, reliability and value for money; along with class-specific advantages such as cargo capacity, payload, towing, utility, and ground clearance.

The 20 Top Picks were chosen by a majority vote of six senior writers and editors, Grant Yoxon, Paul Williams, Jil McIntosh, Chris Chase, James Bergeron, and Greg Wilson. In order to give all vehicles a chance at being selected, CanadianDriver.com considered every vehicle sold in Canada, whether or not it was new or redesigned for 2010. An emphasis was given on affordability and value for money - only one vehicle over $100,000 was selected.

To view the CanadianDriver's Top Picks for 2010 visit the online site at CanadianDriver.com.

THREE CHEVROLET VEHICLES NAMED TO KELLEY BLUE BOOK'S kbb.com 2010 TOP 10 FAMILY CARS

GENERAL MOTORS DETROIT - Today, Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com recognized three Chevrolet vehicles as their 2010 Top 10 Family Cars, including Equinox, Suburban and Traverse. The list represents the kbb.com editors' recommendations for the best vehicles for families, based on factors such as resale value, fuel efficiency, capability and kid-friendliness.

"The factors Kelley Blue Book editors consider are in line with what we believe appeals to modern families who consider Chevrolet vehicles," says Jim Campbell, Chevrolet General Manager. "As such, it's no coincidence that Equinox, Traverse, and Suburban assembly plants are all running overtime to keep up with customer demand."

Here's what Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com editors had to say about the Chevrolet line-up:

2010 Chevrolet Traverse: Boasting more cargo volume than even its Chevy Tahoe stablemate, the Traverse is the biggest crossover on the road -- yet it beats the fuel economy of many smaller three-row vehicles. We like both of the Traverse's siblings -- the Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia -- but the Chevrolet's lower starting price makes it our choice for families.

2010 Chevy Suburban: Even when carrying nine passengers, the Chevy Suburban still offers a cavernous 45.8 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats. Still not enough? Hook up a trailer and the Suburban can tow up to 9600 pounds. Beyond sheer size and strength, the Suburban delivers a comfortable ride and plenty of occupant-coddling niceties.

2010 Chevrolet Equinox: In the highly populated crossover category, the Chevy Equinox stands out from the crowd as a vehicle that competently embodies function and form. In addition to an upscale interior and bold exterior styling, the Equinox is also able to achieve a class-leading 32 mpg on the highway (in four-cylinder form).

WORLD CAR AWARDS ANNOUNCED

General Motors, Detroit - The World Car Awards announced that Chevrolet Cruze is a finalist for the prestigious World Car of the Year Award, and the Camaro is a finalist for the World Car Design of the Year award. The winners will be announced at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday, April 1.

The Cruze is one of 10 finalists for the World Car of the Year award, as selected by a jury of 59 international automotive journalists, based on their experience with each candidate as part of their professional work. The jury members constitute a balance of representation from Asia, Europe, North America, South America, as well as other parts of the world.

The jurors' next step is to re-evaluate the "top ten" cars, in preparation for a final round of voting in February. They will specifically rate each vehicle in terms of overall merit, value, safety, environmental responsibility, emotional appeal, and significance.

"Being a finalist for the World Car of the Year confirms the momentum behind Cruze," says Jim Campbell, Chevrolet General Manager. "More than 125,000 customers in Asia and Europe have already chosen the all-new Cruze. That strong acceptance on the world stage makes us confident that Cruze will be successful here in the U.S. as well when it goes on sale in the third quarter of the year."

Cruze has already earned the top rating of five stars from the European New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP). According to EuroNCAP, Cruze is the first passenger car to receive maximum scores in both the frontal offset collision test and side impact crash test since EuroNCAP began providing crash test ratings in 1997. Cruze also received best-in-class, five-star crash safety ratings in the Australasian New Assessment Program (ANCAP) testing in Australia, and the Chinese New Car Assessment Program (C-NCAP) testing in China.

The Chevrolet Camaro is one of four finalists in the World Car Design of the Year, as selected by a jury of five design experts from around the world. The 59 World Car Awards jurors will now vote on the expert's design.

"It's rather humbling to be nominated for the best new design in the world," says Tom Peters, executive director, GM performance cars and full-size trucks. "The nomination is a tribute to the passion of many individuals who worked so hard to make the dream of the new Camaro come to life."

According to Yahoo!, Camaro was the most-searched vehicle in 2009. Camaro has also received the Popular Mechanics Automotive Excellence Award, and was named an All-Star by Automobile Magazine. Since its introduction in 2009, Camaro has outsold Mustang for seven straight months.